[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S794-S795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                          TRIBUTE TO TONY BELL

 Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Tony 
Bell of Harveyville, KS. Tony has been selected as a 2009 Great 
Comebacks Recipient for the Central Region. This very important program 
annually honors a group of individuals who are living with intestinal 
diseases or recovering from ostomy surgery.
  The Great Comeback Award celebrates the lives of people with painful 
and debilitating diseases like Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, 
colorectal cancer and other diseases that can lead to ostomy surgery. 
Tony is one of over 700,000 Americans, from young children to senior 
citizens, who have an ostomy, a surgical procedure that reconstructs 
bowel and bladder function through the use of a specially fitted 
medical prosthesis. Ostomy surgery is a life-altering and sometimes 
life-saving procedure which both addresses a medical issue and improves 
a patient's quality of life.
  Hundreds of thousands of those suffering from Crohn's or ulcerative 
colitis rely on a certain type of ostomy to function on a daily basis. 
Just like a prosthesis, ostomies help restore patients' ability to 
participate in the normal activity of daily life. Recipients are 
patients who live full and productive lives with their ostomies.
  Born with a defect of his colon, Tony Bell received an ostomy 
immediately after birth. A few years later, the ostomy was reversed, 
but after years of struggling with incontinence, 9-year-old Tony 
received a permanent colostomy. All of a sudden, this inactive, 
withdrawn boy who was scared to leave his home was ready to saddle up 
and grab life by the horns.
  In control of his body--and his life--at last, an empowered Tony 
embraced a bright future--one he hoped would include a career as a 
professional bull rider. He wasted no time, mounting his first bull at 
the age of 10. As Tony trained for rodeo events, he also pursued his 
love of music. In fact, as a high school senior, he was chosen to join 
the elite Kansas Ambassadors choir on a European tour.

[[Page S795]]

  While attending college on a singing scholarship, Tony went pro on 
the rodeo circuit and competed professionally for 2 years, even riding 
in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, known as ``The Daddy of Them 
All.'' Having achieved this childhood dream, Tony has set his sights on 
a new goal, following in his parents' footsteps to become a teacher.
  Through it all, Tony says he drew tremendous strength from his 
parents, who taught him to be resilient and to bounce back from 
whatever life threw his way. He also credits his ``second family,'' 
Youth Rally, a summer camp for adolescents with an ostomy, for helping 
him through some rough patches in his life. He now returns each summer 
as a counselor and enjoys ``paying it forward'' by providing support 
and encouragement to campers.
  Today, Tony, 28, lives in Harveyville, KS, with his wife Pam and 6-
year-old stepdaughter Haiden. He works on the family farm and is only a 
few credits shy of his special education teaching degree. Although Tony 
didn't end up a country music star, he channels his passion and 
performs in a barbershop quartet with his dad. An outdoor enthusiast, 
he enjoys skydiving and noodling--fishing for catfish with your bare 
hands. ``I want to share with the world my story of success so that 
others with life-changing conditions know that they are not alone,'' 
said Tony. ``No matter what comes your way, always reach for the stars 
and grasp your dreams--they are only a bull ride away.''
  I urge my colleagues to take the time to meet with Tony and some of 
the other Great Comebacks Regional Award Recipients. Their personal 
stories are inspirational and will raise your awareness about some of 
the Great Comebacks being made by people living with intestinal 
diseases or recovering from ostomy surgery.

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